The present invention discloses phenol terminated saturated prepolymers and their reactions to produce cyclic ethers suitable for use as epoxy cements. Heretofore, saturated polymers such as polyisobutylenes have been prepared having various functional terminal groups. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,316,973 describes the preparation of hydroxyl terminated polyisobutylene (PIB) from the same polymer carrying a terminal unsaturation, which in turn is derived from tertiary halogen-terminated PIB. A process is utilized comprising dehydrohalogenation followed by hydroboration and oxidation. The polymer may be straight chained or multi-armed with a phenyl ring nucleus.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,327,201 teaches a method and production of macromolecular monomers from cationically polymerisable monomers and vinyl-substituted hydrocarbon halides. Other prior art patents dealing with the reaction of polyisobutylene include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,276,394 and 3,994,993. None of the above patents however teach the production of phenol terminated PIB or their conversion to epoxy cements.